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Dr Rodrigo Salazar, a Peruvian dentist and specialist in oral rehabilitation, who is doing his PhD at the Paulista University (UNIP) in Sao Paulo, has been spearheading the project for two years.

He said: "Brazil doesn't have the resources to equip all of its clinical centres with high-end technology.

"So, we've developed an alternative and simplified low-cost procedure that captures patients' facial anatomy and generates physical working models, giving us the equivalent results to prostheses produced on state-of-the-art equipment that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds."

Dr Salazar used a free app called Autodesk 123D Catch that was downloaded onto Salazar's smartphone, and which turns photos into 3D models.

He took 15 snaps of the trauma area in a planned sequence at three different heights.

The doctor explained: "The rationale for using a smartphone is that all modern mobile devices have an integrated accelerometer and a gyroscope sensor, which are automatically run by the application to guide the operator's 3D position during the photo capture sequence."

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The dad-of-two lost his right eye socket and part of his nose after being diagnosed with a type of mouth cancer

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Doctors used a smartphone app to build and print a 3D image of the missing part of Carlito's face

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Medics match up the skin colours on Carlito for hand-finishing the facial prosthesis

The photos were uploaded and converted into a virtual model of Carlito's face.

Salazar said: "We mirrored the healthy side of Carlito's face, then digitally sculpted it to fit the trauma side."

The prototype of the patient's face was then created on a low-cost printer.

This mould was used to make a new silicone prosthesis for Carlito, which was hand-finished by volunteer clinical artists who added skin colours, texture and realistic wrinkles and affects to give a natural looking fit.

The artificial attachment was fitted with magnets that lock onto three titanium screws embedded under Carlito's eyebrow.

How is it possible to create a prosthetic face using 3D printing technology and a smartphone?

- Technique uses free smartphone app called Autodesk 123D Catch which turns photos into 3D models
- Smartphone’s integrated accelerometer and a gyroscope sensor guide the operator’s 3D position during the photo capture sequence
- Photos are uploaded and coverted into a virtual model of the patient’s face
- Prototype of the patient’s face created on a low-cost printer
- Basic mould used to make a new silicone prosthesis
- Final product is hand-finished by clinical artists who add skin tones, texture and realistic wrinkles to make it look natural
- Prosthesis fitted with magnets that lock onto three titanium screws embedded in the patient’s eyebrow

Dr Luciano Dib, a maxillofacial surgeon who is involved in the project, performed the two-hour operation.

He said: "This is a well-established procedure for anchoring cranio-facial prostheses.

"It means wearers can confidently go to the beach, take a shower, go to the gym and run without fear of the prosthesis falling off. And they can take it off at night to clean it."

The cutting-edge procedure, called Plus ID, is being pioneered by a team of physicians in Brazil and America as a feasible low-cost alternative for clinical centres that do not have access to high-cost technology.

Under the Plus ID project, doctors took less than 20 hours to create the prosthesis for Carlito's face.

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Dr Luciano Dib performed the osseointegration surgery to implant the 3 titanium screws

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Carlito said his old facial prosthesis was ill-fitting and looked terrible

Anaplastologist at the University of Illinois Hospital of Health Sciences System at Chicago, Rosemary Seelaus, is part of the project.

She said: "Our aim with the Plus ID project is to address a multi-dimensional problem that's global.

"Head and neck cancer is a huge public health issue around the world and many people don't have access to rehabilitative care when the disease mutilates the face."

According to 2014 research by the Union of International Cancer Control, there are more than 550,000 cases of head and neck cancer incidences with around 300,000 deaths every year.

As an anaplastolgist, Seelaus is one of only a few hundred experts in the world who has the skill-set of a clinician, artist and engineer to make external artificial parts from start to finish.

She added: "Our intention is to train as many people as possible to make this affordable and practical technology accessible throughout South America, Africa and Asia and in remote areas of the world where people have minimal health care services."

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